Window-shade cleaner



July 17, 1928;

H. SCHURR WINDOW SHADE CLEANER Filed Aug. 51,- 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR: ,Henry 86/2102;

W/YNESSES: WG-

ATT RNEY.

H. SCHURR WINDOW SHADE CLEANER July 17, 1928. 1,677,252

Filed Aug. 51, 1927 s Sheets-She et 2 INVENTOR: Henry Scfiwg grfolizvx July I 7, 1928.

H. SCHURR- WINDOW SHADE CLEANER Filed Aug. 31, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet WITNESSES Patented July 17, 1928.

' UNITEv HENRY SCHURR, OF PHIL ,ADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

WINDOW-SHADE CLEANER.

Application filed August 31, 1927. Serial No. 216,516.

My invention relates to window shades of awindow shade and soon discolors same,

to the extent that it is not clcanable. Dust and dirt also settle upon the depending porlo'tionrofthe shade and soon penetrate lnto the shade fabric so that it is unsightl'y.

The principal object of my invention 18:60 provide a device which willprotect the rolled portionzof ashade and Will wipe its surface when being rolled or unrolled.

Another object of my invention is to so design the device that it is neat 1n appearance and adaptable to shades of diherent lengths and which has a cleaning element remaining in engagement with the rolled portion. of the shade regardless of its diameter.

These objects, and other advantageous ends which will appear hereinafter, l at-v tain in the following manner, reference being had to the accompanying drawings 111 which Figure 1 is a front view of an embodiment of my invention, partly broken away, show- I ing a portion of a shade depending therefrom. i

Figure 2isasect-ional View taken substantially on.line;22 on Figure 5, but showing the shade and cleaning elementin full and with'one end ofthe cleaning element broken away. Y v i Figure 3v is atransverse sectional view taken on line 33 onFigure 1 but having theshade omitted therefrom, and

Figure 1 a similar view but showing. the carrier plate partly broken away 1n order to expose the end support block.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectionalview, taken on line5-5 on Figure 1,

Figure 6 anend view of'the device shown in Figure 1, and.

Figure 7 afragmentary front view of one end of the device shown in Figure 1, but showing the supporting bracket in a differentpositioIL. p j w Figure 8 is atop plan; View of a CllffQTBili';

form of endbracket which is shown attached to a fragmentof therear strip.

' Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view, as ladicated by 1ine33 on Figure 1,1frorn which the shade and cleaning element have been omitted and showing an inside view of the bracket shown in Figure 8, a certain part being broken away. v

FigurelO is a view similar to Figure 9 but havingthe carrier plate omitted, and

bracket plate.

Referring now more in detail to the draw- 15 is provided with slots '16 through which spacers 17, which areslightly thicker thancarrier plate 15, extend and permit the plate to slide onthe surface of block 11 to which it is securedby screws 18 passing through Figurell an inside View of the outside,

brackets 10, which are revers,

A block 11 is secured to the inside of I aperture 13' and an upper a nerture" washers 19 andspacers 17 and threaded into block 11. Each carrier plate is provided at its upper edge with a slot. 20 registering with aperture 14 and adapted to receive the end of a rod, as will presently be described,"

and with acentral aperture 21,. registering withaperture 18 and adapted to receive the trunnion of a shade roller; the aperture in onec-arrier plate being rectangular, as shown, for holding the trunnion 22 of the spring element of the roller against rotation, while the. aperture in the carrier plate on the opposite end of my device ,is circularto accommodate the round trunnionv '23 formed on oneend'ofall shade rollers.

Blocks; 11 at either end of my device are secured to opp osite ends of atop strip 2 1 and to a rear strip 25 preferably by means of screws which extend through both the supporting bracket and block, and thus hold the carrier plates at, the proper distance from oneanother for supporting a shade 26. A rod 27 has its ends mou'ntedin slots 20 and extending into recesses 14 and carries a wiping member 28 suspended on its intermediate portion. lViping member 28 may be made of any suitable material and is preferably-provided with heins 29 al0ngeach edge inwhich rods or other suitable weights pearance and to protect same from dust; I

provide a metalshield 31 which is secured to top strip 24 in any suitable manner but preferably by bending one edge thereof into a hook-shaped part 32 which engages the under side of an offset strip 33 secured to the rear side of top strip 24, as shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5. The lower front edge of shield 31 is notched at either corner to clear end blocks 11 and is rolled to form a tube 34 whose ends abut the inner faces of the blocks so as to keep them spaced apart As shade 26 is raised and lowered, wiping member 28 will ride on its upper surface and wipe same free of the dust and dirt which has accumulated thereon when unrolled. As

the shade is drawn downwardly, the rolled portion will decrease in diameter but wiping member 28 will remain in contact therewith due to its supporting rod 27 being slidably mounted in slots 20. As the shade is drawn downwardly through slot 37, which is disposed near the rear of the device, it will tend to move the shade'roller toward the rear .of the device and this is allowed by the sliding action of carrier plates on spacers 17. As the shade is rolled up, the shade roller is free to move forwardly for accommodating the increased diameter of the rolled shade and rod '27 may move upwardly in slots as the rolled shade increases in size. Access may be had to the shade or the shade replaced by removing one shade supporting bracket and sliding shield 31 from behind strip 32.

In Figures 8 to l], I'have shown a dif ferent form of construction in which the end bracket 10 is composed principally of flanged plate 41 whose flanges are disposed on either side of rear strip and secured thereto in any suitable manner, as by bolts 42. A slot 43 extends downwardly from the upper edge of plate 41 and is adapted to accommodate the end of the shade trunnion and the end of rod 27 as the trunnion moves forwardly and rearwardly and as rod 27 rises and falls due to the rolling and unrolling of the shade,as previously de scribed.

Screws 44 are secured in holes 45 formed in plate 41 and extend through slots 46 formed in a carrier plate 47 which is held in sliding contact with plate 41 by washers 19 which encircle screws 44. A spacer 17 which is slightly thicker than carrier plate 47, is disposed in each slot 46 and encircles a screw 44 so that the carrier plate is free to move forwardly and rearwardly, relatively to plate 41 and within the limits estab- V lished by slots 46, but in no other direction.

A slot 48, shown as having slightly tapered sides, extends downwardly from the upper edge of carrier plate 47 and is adapted to allow the trunnion of the shade roller to move downwardly into a pocket 49. Pocket 49 in the bracket on the left hand end of the device has parallel side walls, as shown in Figure 9, which prevent the spring trunnion from rotating, and with arcuate walls in the bracket on the right hand end of the device so that the fixed trunnion on the shade roller may rotate freely, as is customary.

Instead of securing shield 31 in place in the manner shown in Figures 1 to 7, it may be provided with a tube 34 along its lower edge which is similar to tube 34 with the exception that it extends the entire length of the shield. Tube 34 is preferablystiffened by being rolled around a rod 50, which is of substantially the same length as shield 31, and is adapted to be sprung into notches 51 formed in both of plates 40 and 41; the shield being preferably rolled to a slightly smaller radius than the radius of the curved portions of brackets 10*. The upper edge of shield 31 is bent downwardly and then forwardly to form a horizontally disposed hook 52, instead of the vertically disposed hook-shaped part 32, which is adapted to engage the rearwardly extending flange of an angular retaining member 53, as plainly shown in Figures 9 and 10. Retaining member 53 extends nearly the entire length of rear strip 25 and is secured to the forward face thereof in any suitable manner.

Plates 40 and 41 are notched out at 54in order to clear hook 52 and thus permit shield 31 being removed by merely springing tube 34" out of notches 51 and sliding it over one of the end brackets. Due to the manner in which plates 40 and 41 are secured to rear strip 25, the device is remarkably rigid and requires no bracing, such as the top strip 24 and tube 34 shown in Figures 2 to 6, and this is particularly true if the outer edges ofplates 40 and 41 are bound together in any suitable manner, as by separators 55, by forming the two plates integral, or by casting the bracket in a single piece.

The device is preferably shipped completely assembled, so that, in order to install same, it is merely necessary to secure it "above a window or other opening, spring tube 34? out of notches 51, slide shield 31'0ver one end bracket, lift out the cleaning element, insert the shade with an unrolled portion extending through slot 37, drop the cleaning element on top of the shade, and replace the shield. Thus there is provided a device which is easily installed and which gives instant and easy access to the shade and cleaning element.

While I have described my invention as taking a particular form, it will be understood that modifications may be made with out departing from the spirit thereof, and hence I do not limit myself to the precise construction setforth, but consider that I am at liberty to make such changes and al terations as fairly come Within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a shade roller housing containing a shade, means for cleaning the shade including a rod mounted 'in' the casing, and a flexible cleansing fabric carried by the rod and engaging the upper half of the rolled portion of the shade.

2. In a shade roller housing containing a shade, means for cleaning the shade including a rod slidable vertically in the cas ing, a flexible cleansing fabric carried by the rod and engaging the shade, and weights in the lower edges of the cleaning element. 3. A device of the character describen including a casing, a carrier plateslidably mounted on each end of the casing and provided with an aperture for supporting an end of a shade and with a vertical slot, a rod having an end mounted in each slot, a

cleaning element on the rod and engaging the shade, and weights in the edges of the cleaning element.

4. A device of the character described including a frame, end pieces secured to the frame, a shield slidable'in the frame and havin'g one edge clamped between the end pieces,

means on the end pieces for supporting a shade, and a cleaning element carried by the end pieces and engaging the upper half of the rolled portion ofthe shade.

5. A device of the character described including a rear piece, end brackets carried by the rear piece, carrier plates slidable on the brackets and provided with notches in which they are adapted to support a shade, a rod resting on the shade and having its ends in the notches, and a cleaning element carried by the rod. 2

6. A device of the character described including a rear piece, a retaining member on the rear piece, end brackets carried by the rear piece, carrier plates slidable on the brackets and provided with notches in which they are adapted to support a shade, a rod resting on the shade and having its ends in the notches, acleaning element carried by the rod, and a shield slidably interlocking with the retaining member and engaging the brackets.

7. A device of the character described including a frame, end pieces secured to the frame, a shield slidable in the frame and having one edge clamped between the end pieces, a shade supporting plate slidable on each end piece and provided with a slot, a rod having an endslidable in each slot, a

fabric carried by the rod and partially ens circling the shade, weights in the edges of the fabric, and reversible mounting brackets secured to the end pieces.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HENRY SCHURR. 

